Pilot (episode)
Pilot is the first ever episode and the Season 1 (2010) premiere of the 2010 remake of Hawaii Five-0. The episode aired on Monday, September 20, 2010, exactly 42 years to the day from the premiere of the original show, September 20, 1968. Synopsis When his father is murdered, Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett (2010) arrives home in Hawaii and finds himself dealing with his past. The Governor of Hawaii requests Steve to lead a special task force. Steve turns the offer down but when he meets the man in charge, Detective Danny Williams, Steve changes his mind so that he can find his father's killer himself. Plot Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett (2010) is on a mission to South Korea, escorting arms dealer Anton Hesse with Anton taunting Steve. As that happens, Steve receives a phone call from Anton's brother, Victor Hesse who has Steve's estranged father, John McGarrett hostage. After Steve and Victor exchange some insults, the convoy that Steve and Anton are in ends up attacked by various men who are presumably trying to free Anton. Steve fights back, successfully eliminating some of the invaders but when Anton escapes and gets a gun, Steve is forced to shoot Anton, the gunshots killing Anton. Victor then rings back and after learning of Anton's death, shoots John dead in revenge as a horrified Steve listens on with Steve yelling "NO!". Some time later, Steve returns home to Hawaii and meets Governor Pat Jameson who promises him payback for his father's death. She also offers Steve the opportunity to become the leader of a new task force, one that will clean up the criminal underworld in the state. Steve refuses, choosing to head to his father's home which has become a crime scene. While there, Steve comes across some evidence including a boot print and a space where a computer could have been. In the garage, Steve finds the Champ box and also a tape recording where John expresses regret at the fact that he can no longer trust his fellow Honolulu Police Department colleagues. As Steve attempts to take the "Champ" box, the lead detective on the case, Detective Sergeant Danny Williams (2010) with both men engaging in a stand-off. Although he and Danny are hostile to each other at first, Steve sees an opportunity and contacts Jameson, informing her that he has accepted her offer. After taking an oath, Steve becomes the new leader of the unnamed Task Force with a reluctant Danny becoming Steve's partner. The two men then confront Fred Doran at a hut with Doran fleeing after his girlfriend, Jaycee alerts Doran to Steve and Danny's presence. As such, Doran flees with Steve in hot pursuit. Steve attempts to talk to Doran but Doran attempts a weapon at Steve and before Doran can do anything, he is shot and killed by Danny. A while later, the two men get into an argument and Steve manages to get Danny in an armlock. However when Steve relents and lets Danny go, a furious Danny punches Steve in the mouth while stating,"You're right. I don't like you" which leaves Steve stunned and also muttering, "Son of a....". The two men later discuss things with Danny revealing that he came to Hawaii after his ex-wife and his young daughter moved there. Danny also expresses a strong dislike for Hawaii, calling it a "pineapple infested Hell hole". A while later, Steve and Danny meet Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly (2010) who John McGarrett and who left the HPD in disgrace after being accused of corruption with Steve offering a chance to join the new task force. Chin then takes them to meet Kamekona Tupuola who is Chin's friend and also a former police informant who is also currently the owner of a shave ice business. Kamekona gives Chin information with Chin revealing that the snakehead leader is Sang Min. Danny suggests putting someone in undercover but Chin states that they're on an island where everyone knows everyone and that they've got to think outside the box. At the beach, Chin introduces Steve and Danny to Chin's cousin, Officer Kono Kalakaua (2010) who was once a surfing champion until she blew out her knee. Chin also states that Kono is also a police academy trainee and that she'll be graduating from the Academy in a week but due to the fact that she's related to Chin, no-one will trust Kono either. A while later, Kono enters the meeting, posing as a Chinese immigrant while Steve, Danny and Chin monitor things thanks to up-to-date laser audio surveillance. Unfortunately, Kono's cover is blown when Sang Min's mole in HPD reveals that Kono is a cop. The group storm the warehouse with all four taking down the henchmen and arresting Sang Min. In a talk with Sang Min, Steve reveals that if Sang Min doesn't co-operate with them, then Steve will make sure that Sang Min's wife and young son back to Rwanda which is where Sang Min's wife is originally from. If that happens, then Sang Min's young son will eventually become a solider with the Hulu military but if Sang Min works with them, then Sang Min's family can stay. Seizing the opportunity, Sang Min informs the team that Victor Hesse is leaving on a Chinese freighter. With that, Steve and Danny race to the docks to stop the ship from leaving. As they sweep into the docks, Victor Hesse and his men fight back. While Danny ducks for cover and dispatches Victor's goons, Steve and Victor engage in hand-to-hand combat with both men being evenly matched. Just as Victor is about to prevail, Steve grabs his gun and shoots Victor, the impact sending Victor crashing into the sea. At the team's headquarters, the new task force of Steve, Danny, Chin and Kono are all beginning to settle in but they cannot settle on a name to call themselves. Major Events *Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett (2010), Detective Sergeant Danny Williams (2010), Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly (2010), Officer Kono Kalakaua (2010), the team's future CI, Kamekona Tupuola and Grace Williams, Danny's daughter as well as Governor Pat Jameson and Victor Hesse are all introduced for the first time. *It's revealed that Steve is a Navy SEAL, Danny is a Detective originally from New Jersey with a daughter named Grace, Chin is a disgraced cop accused of stealing money and Kono is a police recruit scheduled to graduate from the HPD Police Academy in a week. *The unnamed Task Force is established with McGarrett becoming the leader of the force, Danny becoming the second in command and McGarrett's partner and Chin Ho and Kono becoming the third and fourth members of the team respectively. *As a result of becoming the leader of the unnamed Task Force, McGarrett is also transferred to the Navy Reserves. Trivia *The Mercury in McGarrett's father's garage used to belong to Jack Lord who played Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett (1968). Lord gave the car to John Boley Nordlum (Lord's stunt double) after the series ended. *The song playing when Steve arrives at Danny's apartment is the Black Keys- Sinister Kid. *This is the only episode of the entire Hawaii Five-0 series where Danny is seen driving a Ford Mustang GT 5.0. Cast Series Regulars Recurring Cast Other Cast Category:Season 1 (2010) Category:Season Premiere Episodes Category:Episodes focusing on Steve McGarrett Category:Episodes written by Peter M. Lenkov Category:Episodes written by Alex Kurtzman Category:Episodes written by Roberto Orci Category:Episodes directed by Len Wiseman Category:Episodes featuring Governor Pat Jameson Category:Episodes featuring Sang Min Category:Episodes featuring Anton Hesse Category:Episodes featuring Victor Hesse Category:Episodes featuring John McGarrett Category:Episodes featuring Grace Williams Category:Episodes featuring Kamekona Tupuola